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1. Developing Voice by Composing Haiku: A Social-Expressivist Approach for Teaching Haiku Writing in EFL Contexts

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses Haiku as a simple way to use poetry to help students develop voice and audience in their writing. The author gives an explanation and example of Haiku and gives step-by-step instructions for how Haiku may be taught, from interpretation to composition to publication.

2. Twenty Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Educators need to learn how best to use the increasingly popular mobile phone technology to support learning in the language classroom. This author outlines the benefits as well as potential problems and solutions of mobile phone use, giving twenty practical ideas for classroom activities, such as using a voice recorder to capture conversations outside the classroom.

3. Using Public Speaking Tasks in English Language Teaching

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   There are advantages to using public speaking tasks in the L2 classroom. Among them are the ability to use the four skills (e.g., when responding to audience questions, creating a presentation, or writing notes), the development of critical thinking skills, and the opportunity that public speaking provides for sharing information. The author offers guidelines and figures to illustrate the steps involved in supporting students in their research, demonstration, and review.

4. The Formeaning Response Approach: Poetry in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the use of poetry-based activities in the English as foreign language (EFL) classroom. It claims that poetry exposes learners to content-rich materials. It presents the Formeaning Response approach, which combines language elements with personal responses to poetry, and offers activities that motivate students to attend and respond to both the form and the overall meaning.

5. Journals in the Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses how to use paper-based journals as teaching tools in language classrooms. It describes the concept of writing to learn and provides some suggestions for teachers on how to use paper-based journals at the beginning, middle, and the end of class based on the author’s self-experience and his students’ feedback.

6. Classroom Techniques: Using Radio Programs in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   The article describes how to use Voice of America (VOA) radio programs to teach English to students studying in EFL contexts. A major reason why the author believes VOA programs are a good source for English learning is because they allow the teacher to teach English through content. At the same time, VOA programs provide authentic language-learning materials. The author describes four listening activities (before listening, while listening, and after listening) using VOA radio programs.

7. Destroying the Teacher: The Need for Learner-Centered Teaching

   In: English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article advocates using English to teach content, addressing this through five areas: Reduction of Coercion (not eliciting correct answers, but engaging students in thinking); Active Learner Involvement (less teacher talk and more material chosen to engage learners), Experience Before Interpretation (handling material before interpreting it), Avoidance of Simplification (choosing materials challenging enough to learn skills for tackling new ideas), and Value of Silence (allowing students to think without forcing them to talk).

8. Reconceptualizing Interactional Groups: Grouping Schemes for Maximizing Language Learning

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   While noting the research on the benefits of learner interaction, this article states that more attention needs to be given to strategies for planning successful group work while avoiding the problems that can come with group activities. The author gives guidelines for forming groups, such as how many students to put in each group, whether to use flexible or fixed groupings, and how to divide students (by personal affiliation, oral language ability, personality, L1, and academic interests). Also addressed are guidelines for designing tasks and assigning group roles.

9. Student-Centered Teaching in Large Classes with Limited Resources

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   The authors shares suggestions for instructors who teach large classes (from 50-80 students) with minimal resources. The challenges of managing the classroom, using pair and group work effectively, and working with limited resources are addressed. The authors suggests ways to take attendance quickly, to reduce written work to grade, to start and stop communicative activities, and to keep motivation high when students work at different speeds. Suggestions were tested by action research. Two classrooms are described.

10. Teacher Resources

    In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    This section reviews four books. “Teaching English as an International Language” by Sandra McKay relates English teaching to the use of the language around the world. “Humanizing Your Coursework” by Mario Rinvolucri offers 95 activities range from icebreakers and warm-ups to listening, speaking, and looking backwards or forwards. “Testcraft” by Fred Davidson and Brian K. Lynch addresses how to design contextual tests. “Teaching Large Level Multilevel Classes” by Natalie Hess includes 144 activities and 11 principles for teachers to cope with these types of classes.

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